"This poor creature did not deserve such a fate" Ash heard a feminine voice speaking to someone.
He heard a sigh.
"It's terrible to treat a poison pokemon like that" the masculine voice answered, probably to the female next to him.
Something did not agree with Ash. Pikachu was not a poison pokemon.
"What about Pikachu we found, laying injured next to him?" the female voice asked. "Was it possible to save him?"
Ash heard a gulp, and sound of rubber gloves, being removed.
"I'm sorry" The man spoke in a trembling voice. "The little pokemon had deep wounds that, when combined with hemorrhage, were... were unable to stitch"
A tear came out of Ash's closed eye.
It must have been a mistake! Pikachu would not give up so easily!
The young pokemon trainer promised to protect him!
He felt, how a firm hand rubbed his back.
"I promise, we'll find the one who did it to you"
Ash then felt, how the hand is removed from him.
"I do not think that this is the best time for caresses" the masculine voice spoke calmly. "This poor thing now needs rest"
The female sighed. "As you wish"
[b]Some hours later[/b]
Ash opened his eyes with great difficulty, and looked across from himself. He felt the bandages squeezing his whole body, as he was lying on the blanket.
His entire face was also covered with bandages, which caused problems with its movement.
The only sounds he heard were drip and his heartbeat. The third sound that joined them, were footsteps towards him.
It was the nurse.
"It looks like, our sleeping beauty is finally awake" she chuckled, and gently lifted Ash's head, to take a closer look at him.
"You look like pretty young male specimen, handsome" she smiled, moving his head both ways, like a doll.
Pretty young? Male specimen? Handsome? What she was talking about?
"A-arbok?" he asked, still not knowing, what she meant.
His face froze in horror when he heard his new voice.
It could not have been a puberty. Ash was only 10 years old.
When he tried to touch his head ... He could not do it!
Panic seized him when he felt... NO! He did not feel his legs.
Ash began to breathe faster and faster, with each moment, getting to know his new body.
"Arb... Arbo... ARBO...!" he began to stutter nervously, listening to the language he used, involuntarily attracting the attention of the nurse who was looking at him right now.
"Is s-something wrong snakey?" she asked, concerned about the serpent's behavior.
That was enough to get Ash off balance.
As a fresh pokemon, Ash, not knowing how, caught his heart with his tail, feeling how fast it beats.
He realized, he was no longer human, which he was yesterday.
"Shhh..." the nurse whispered, causing a shivering in his spine. "You are no longer on this brutal battlefield"
"A-Arbok?" Ash asked, expanding his cobra hood, which he was learning about right now.
"Yes, It's a safe place" the nurse giggled, but her smile suddenly disappeared. "But sadly..."
Ash Ketchum raised his eyebrow.
"We will have to give you away for one of the young Pokemon trainers, who will come first for you"
Ash's eyes widened in fright. He did not want to be dependent on anyone.
"Arbok!" he began to breathe faster, each time, he was thinking about that.
He never thought, that being a master of Pokemon's, would cost him, to be one of them.
The nurse only looked at him, with sad eyes.
"Forgive me snakey... I can not help it" she said, feeling guilty. "This is politics"
Tears began to run down the cheeks of the young Pokemon.
It was another blow to Ash's heart after Pikachu's death.
What if he got a bad trainer who would yell at his pokemons, after each battle? Ash does not know tricks of each pokemon type.
What if a young pokemon would make a mistake in his special move that would have cost him his winnings? He would not get food for a few days.
Arbok closed his eyes in concentration to reflect on it more. And what if he was taken by a beautiful trainer who understands her pokemon and does not treat them severely?
Ash was thrown out of his thoughts after he felt the bandages removed from his serpent's head.
He hissed in pain, poking his tongue out.
"I'm sorry cutie" she whispered in a polite tone. "I need to examine your wounds, that you acquired during the fight with Pikachu"
Fight? Ash thought. I would never fight with my friend!
The nurse looked at his face from both sides again.
"The bitten places are elegantly sewn together" she commented. "So I see no reason to give you injections in the back"
Ash sighted with relief.
The nurse began taking off his tail from the bandages, causing Arbok to whimper in pain.
"I nearly forgot, that tail is your more sensitive part" the nurse scratched her head in embarassment. "I should pay more attention to it"
Ash looked back, and smiled to her.
"After your smile, I think it does not bother you" she also smiled.
The nurse knelt down and looked closely at Arbok's tail, examining it.
"The belly and tail are more hurt than your head, so these parts of the body will need more rest" she sighed, and looked back at Arbok. "Will rest not disturb you?"
Ash only rolled his eyes.
"It probably meant "no" " she said to herself.
The nurse bandaged Ash's tail back, leaving only his head. Then she looked at him.
"Why do I have the feeling, that you understand me?" she asked, with a smile.
"A-arbok?" Were the only words Ash said.
The nurse laughed.
"You are a funny creature, cute snakey" she said, before looking on her watch "I think, you should come back to rest"
The nurse patted Arbok on the head, before heading for the exit.
"Go back to sleep" she smiled, clicking the switch and leaving Arbok in the dark, and alone.
"Arbok?" Ash asked himself, looking around the dark room.
